The invention relates to the field of custom interior design, and in particular to a computerized system that is designed to allow consumers to pick and chose from among many design alternatives using standard off the shelf component parts in order to create a customized interior furniture design for e.g. a bookcase or shelves. Such a system will provide a ready visual display on a display monitor of those items e.g. a bookcase, that are chosen by the consumer along with particular overall arrangement that this will create in the room. In addition, the system can generate pricing information i.e. a purchase order and a bill of materials for that particular arrangement. The consumer can then print the bill of materials and take it to a check out station in the store where the consumer can present this bill as an order as well as make payment arrangements.
It is believed that the system will find utility in creating an on-screen image of a furniture arrangement or similar living space arrangement for consumers on a display monitor. Such display will aid consumers in the purchase of any number of custom designed living and working space arrangements including: office furniture, bookcases, libraries, kitchen and bath cabinets, entertainment centers, furniture designs, industrial and commercial working space arrangements, institutional designs, domestic arrangements, etc. For purpose of discussion the term: xe2x80x9cliving space arrangementxe2x80x9d may be used to refer to all of these areas of interior design. Other areas of design are possible as well.
It is believed that the system will provide the consumer with a system for selecting their own unlimited options from standard off the shelf component parts already provided by seller in order to allow them to create a one of a kind design. Such a system is believed to eliminate the package approach by manufactures and adds flexibility to the seller. Such a system will provide the consumer with a print out of the costs of the system he has chosen and provide a bill of materials that he or she can take to a check out area and make payment arrangements. Options, upgrades, alternatives, costs are readily available to consumer. The system allows the consumer to recalculate the costs of going with a less expensive or more expensive arrangement without having to take time away from the sales people in the show room. The system also facilitates the check out process by providing a readily available bill of materials that the consumer can simply take to the check out area when he or she has decided on a system.
The availability of different standard off the shelf component parts in the inventory can be programmed and the consumer can know early on in the buying process which items are or are not available and/or how long these items will take to order. This provides a cost effective method for consumer and the retail seller and provides a custom service at moderate prices, therefore, better meeting the needs of consumers shopping in a show room where space and time are at a premium for the retail operator of the store.
A computerized system for providing consumers with a means of designing and visualizing customized design interiors using components or parts chosen from off the shelf components in order to create a custom interior with a minimum of effort on the part of the sales people in the show room. Such program will provide a visual representation of the particular items and arrangement chosen by the consumer upon his selecting such components from the data base. The software is designed to provide prompts, initially, to the buyer in order to determine the size of the interior space under consideration, The computer will then provide a visual, on screen, representation of the components that the customer has chosen and place them upon that design environment that the consumer has indicated.
Further prompts by the computer will request choices as to colors, dimension of space the product will occupy, intended use, special needs, etc. Further prompts in the system will ask the consumer on what they like or don""t like and continue with process until customer arrives at a design that he or she is comfortable with. Alternative designs may be provided by the computer based on the maintainer of the system (e.g. a retailer) and what standard components are available and based on the consumer""s suggestions. Customer can then select materials from the storage at the retail point where the system is or they will be pulled by seller, or whatever method seller wishes.
At the end of the session, the computer will prompt to see if the pricing is acceptable to the consumer and will provide a cost print out, bill of materials needed, instruction sheets for assembly, and suggested alternatives based on software specifications, inventory levels, upgrades, and revised inputs by buyer. The intended users could be individual consumers, purchasing agents, etc.
It is an object of the invention to provide consumers with a computerized system in order to help them create custom made design choices for furniture systems and other living space systems by using a data base that can provide for a ready visualization of the custom creation.
Another object is to provide a computerized system that will allow consumers to pick and choose from different custom interior design arrangements and to provide them with a ready break down of the costs, the availability, of such a particular arrangement.
Another object is to provide a method for shopping for interior design arrangements that allows the consumer to pick and choose particular components without taking time away from the store personnel. Such time consuming practices as determining component availability, determining costs of alternative designs and providing a price list and a bill of materials can be done at the computer terminal where the consumer is making and displaying his design choices so that he or she can take his bill of materials to the check out area and make payment arrangements.
Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the invention is shown and described.